10 One-Off Horror Movie Villains Who MUST Return

Wes Craven’s Scream is widely considered the quintessential meta-horror movie. In its shadow, however, are handfuls of other genre deconstructions that warrant more attention than they typically get.

2006’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is easily one of them.

Why? Because it’s an exceptionally sharp slice of self-aware cinema that slyly transforms from black comedy slasher mockumentary into a legitimately authentic and effective example of the very thing it’s dissecting.

Initially, it centers on a film crew documenting up-and-coming murderer Leslie Vernon as he emulates homicidal heroes such as Leatherface and Michael Myers. Consequently, Behind the Mask implies that many of our favorite cinematic slashers became in-universe folk heroes, prompting Vernon to figure out how to join their ranks as the filmmakers examine how the subgenre works.

It’s an ingenious gimmick that works wonders, especially since it allows for cheeky appearances from horror royalty Robert Englund, Zelda Rubinstein, and Kane Hodder. Additionally, Vernon’s third-act switch into a vengeful foe who targets the film crew themselves as he hunts documentarian-turned-final-girl Taylor is quite clever.

Despite being left to burn in his barn, Vernon is still alive at the end of Behind the Mask, so he could certainly go after Taylor a second time as he charismatically investigates modern horror tropes alongside cameos from modern horror actors.